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Amina Helmi; Star of the Milky Amina Helmi Star of the Milky Way NWO Spinoza Prize 2019 Astronomer Amina Helmi has been awarded the Spinoza Prize 2019. It is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. The prize is a grant of EUR 2.5 million, to be spent on new research. open academic community – since 1614 www.rug.nl/spinozaprize Perfect timing It was astronomy that drew Amina Helmi to the Netherlands. Astronomy had always been her life-long passion, and as it turned out, it was a good choice. Her academic career can best be described as cosmic. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) interviewed Helmi about winning the Spinoza Prize, which is worth € 2.5 million. Congratulations! What was the first thing that crossed I only had female teachers for the exact sciences subjects. Astronomy at your mind when you received the phone call? So I never questioned whether this discipline was something ‘That it’s an incredible honour to receive the Spinoza Prize. that women could do.’ the University of To be honest, I can still hardly believe it. As I look back, I’m amazed at the space and opportunities I’ve received to develop Why do you find astronomy such a fascinating subject? Groningen myself this far.’ ‘I think that it’s a combination of several factors. First of all, my fascination for the big and unknown. I find it really amazing Astronomy in Groningen has been highly You are originally from Argentina, and you have worked that our small brains can understand something as big as the regarded for more than 140 years, both in in Argentina, Germany and the Netherlands. Why did you universe, in which the objects are so far away that we will never the Netherlands and abroad. International eventually settle in the Netherlands? reach them ourselves. Furthermore, I’m fascinated by the fact cooperation and the study of the Milky ‘The Netherlands is extremely good at astronomy. In fact, it’s that we can use the physical laws that apply here on earth to Way have always been high on the one of the three leading countries in the world. That was why I understand so much of what we see in the universe. I was really agenda. came to the Netherlands to do my doctoral research after I had hooked when I heard the story of the 19th-century French finished my undergraduate studies in Argentina. Also, my mother astronomer and mathematician Le Verrier who calculated the The founding father of astronomy in Groningen is originally from the Netherlands, so I’m hardly a stranger here. existence of the eighth planet in our solar system before Neptune is Jacobus Kapteyn (1851-1922). At the age This is a great country to live in but also for doing research. was even discovered. Based on his work, astronomers started of 26, he was appointed the first professor Here, I don’t have to worry about whether I can get to the office searching in the region of the sky he predicted and indeed found of astronomy and theoretical mechanics at or whether the printer will work once I get there. Instead, I can the planet. I thought that was fantastic: being able to make the University. The government decreed that focus on my research. And I really appreciate the freedom I have predictions and then testing whether those predictions are every university should teach astronomy, but to choose my own path as well as the recognition I receive for correct through observations. That later became the golden Kapteyn was – literally – left empty-handed: what I do. Science is still quite respected here. Take the Dutch thread throughout my research.’ there was no observatory in Groningen. It is for television programme De Wereld Draait Door, for example, which this reason that he contacted the Cape Town asks scientists to explain current developments based on their What will you use the money from the Spinoza Prize for? Observatory, marking the dawn of a tradition expertise.’ ‘Funnily enough, that prize comes at just the right moment. I had of international cooperation. The telescope on planned to use this summer to write a new proposal for an ERC the Canary Island of La Palma and – of course As a female professor of astronomy, you are something Grant, but I’ll no longer need to do that now.’ – the University of Groningen’s astronomical of an exception. institute were named after him. ‘That’s an odd aspect of the Netherlands, and biases already start Which questions do you want to explore in the at primary school. My son came home one day from school with coming years? In 1921, Kapteyn was succeeded by Pieter van the announcement that boys are better than girls at maths. He ‘I have an awful lot of ideas. However, I remain fascinated by the Rhijn. He was president of the International definitely did not hear that from me! Some schoolbooks emp- history of our Milky Way. We discovered that ten billion years Astronomical Union (1932-1958) and involved hasise that there are differences between boys and girls when it ago, the Milky Way merged with a large galaxy. But what in the Plan of Selected Areas, based on one of comes to their disposition for the physical sciences. That simply happened before that? And what did the Milky Way look like Kapteyn’s ideas: The starry sky was divided into does not happen in Argentina. But if kids hear such things from back then? Which processes were important at that time? How areas that would be studied by observatories a young age, then the impact is considerable. People need to be many other galaxies has our Milky Way swallowed? And have all over the world. aware of such mechanisms. And we need female role models all those interactions influenced the current shape of the Milky as well. I therefore try to achieve gender balance in my group, Way? Ultimately, I want to be able to build the Milky Way’s The Groningen astronomical institute received although, in practice, that is not always easy. In high school, family tree.’ a major boost under the leadership of Adriaan Blaauw, who succeeded Van Rhijn in 1956. The institute was expanded, among other things with the radio astronomy research group led by Hugo van Woerden. This group made intensive use of the radio telescope in Dwingeloo and later of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. It was largely It’s fantastic to be able to thanks to Blaauw that the European Southern make predictions and then Observatory (ESO) was established in Chile. use observations to see The Blaauw Observatory in the Bernoulliborg whether your predictions are building on the Zernike Campus, which opened in 2008, is named after him. correct. The list of Groningen astronomers is too long to mention everyone individually – famous alumni include Jan Hendrik Oort and Maarten Smidt – but one thing is absolutely certain: Amina Helmi continues the impressive tradition of world-class astronomers at our University. Like Kapteyn she uses observations made by colleagues: for more than a century astronomers produce more data than they can analyse… New instrument will add to Gaia Ace in astronomy data On 1 November 2018, a beaming Amina Helmi appeared on the TV programme Nieuwsuur. Astronomy professor Amina Helmi The previous day, she had published an article in Nature proving that the Milky Way as we investigates how the Milky Way got its present shape. Detailed information on know it today had once merged with another large galaxy. The Spinoza Prize is a provisional the movement and chemical composition jewel in the crown of a highly successful academic career that has generated much global of stars is vital to her work. The Gaia satellite mission, in which she plays an attention. She gave an account of her story in last December’s alumni magazine Broerstraat 5. important role, provided a cornucopia of data. Helmi is involved in the building of a new instrument on an Earth based telescope, that will collect this vital information In Professor Amina Helmi’s office, the plastic film that covered the real smoking gun, and it allows us to say with certainty that her copy of Nature lies on the conference table bearing silent these stars originate from another galaxy.’ Case closed. The stars in the sky seem to have fixed witness to her success. In late October, this leading journal positions. But in reality, they are moving published an article about a very important discovery made by Fremdkörper around at high speeds. Some of the stars follow Helmi and her research group: in its early existence, the Milky At a time when anyone who knew anything about astronomy very peculiar) paths. ‘That is because many of Way ‘swallowed’ another sizeable galaxy. Helmi is not afraid to thought that all the stars in the Milky Way were also born there, these stars were not born in the Milky Way, refer to her discover as ‘prodigious’. ‘One of the most intriguing Helmi discovered the first ‘fremdkörper’ in the Milky Way. but in a different system that fused with our questions in astronomy is the matter of how galaxies evolve. This was the subject of her PhD project in 2000. ‘As I had also galaxy’, explains Eduardo Balbinot, postdoc in There weren’t any galaxies during the Big Bang, so where did a developed the models that show why we hadn’t discovered this the Helmi group. He studies the history of our galaxy like the Milky Way come from? We now have a better idea before, it was immediately obvious that mergers had played a Milky Way, and is also involved in the building of this.’ significant role.
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